To choose a democratic candidate for the presidential election, several candidates are running against each other in a primary election, which includes debates and public events.
The current frontrunner is Joe Biden with 1217 delegates, followed by Bernie Sanders with 914 delegates.
The primary election process is different for both parties. For the Democrats, the candidate must have a majority of 1,991 of 3,979 delegates to win the nomination, according to NBC News.
The primaries started with the Iowa Caucus on February 3, but did not produce clear election results due to technology issues.
“While I absolutely love the idea of a caucus and its throwback to more retail politics, that model has simply outlived its usefulness,” chairman of the Indian Valley Democrats Josh Camson said.
For state committee member Rachel Hendricks, she was surprised by how the race is turning out.
“I’m actually surprised at how well Bernie Sanders is doing. I’m also surprised Biden isn’t doing as well,” Hendricks said. Sanders had more delegates than Biden early in the race.
Wynnewood resident John Gilmore was also surprised by Sanders’ lead.
“I would say that Bernie is surprising me. I like Pete Buttigieg and I think he’s doing quite well.” Gilmore said.
Pete Buttigieg suspended his bid for president on March 1, followed by Amy Klobachar on March 2, Michael Bloomberg on March 4 and Elizabeth Warren on March 5, leaving two candidates.
A component of the election process includes debates, and some may argue that the Democrats have been nontraditional.
“It gets challenging to watch,” social studies teacher John Donahue said. “It’s not a traditional one person against one person with a moderator type situation.”
Social studies teacher Jessica Muller agrees, believing the debates feel less like a debate and more like “organized fighting.”
Candidates will also appear for public events in a state before an election takes place. For example, Joe Biden spent 58 days in Iowa and held 126 events, and Andrew Yang spent 64 days in Iowa and held 187 events, according to ABC News.
“I think states like Iowa and New Hampshire have too much power,” Donahue said. “[Candidates] spend a hundred days in Iowa. Iowa is not like the rest of America. Neither is New Hampshire.” Over 90% of both Iowa and New Hampshire’s population is white, whereas the rest of the United States is approximately 76% white.
Camson advises voters to check and make sure they are registered to vote by using the Pennsylvania Department of State website.
For students who are voting for the first time, Muller recommends taking political ideology quizzes and looking at candidates policies.
“The worst thing they could do is be an uneducated voter,” Muller said.
Donahue agrees with making sure first time voters are well-informed.
“I think the biggest thing is to stay informed and to pay attention to what is going on,” Donahue said. “Don’t just go vote [one way] because your parents are Democrats or Republicans.”